Adjustable bedrest



July 16, 1968 J. R. AYMAR ADJUSTABLE BEDREST 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan.l2, 1967 mvENToR. JUL/AN ROBE'QT AYMAR f uwwn M l ATTORNEYS July 16,1968 J. R. AYMAR 3,392,412

ADJUSTABLE BEDREST Filed Jan. l2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 s INVENTOR. .S5JUL /A /v Hoet-R7' AWWA/2 LE Wwww ATTORNEYS July 16, 196s J. R. Amm

ADJUSTABLE BEDREST 4 $heets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. l2. 1967 INVENTOR. JUL/ANRBEQTAYMA BY 01A* J6 July 16, 1968 J. R. AYMAR ADJUSTABLE BEDREST 4lSheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. l2, 1967 I N VEN TOR. JUL/AN ROBERTAYMAR BY@MJ/,5f @0M ATTORNEYS United States Patent() M 3,392,412 ADJUSTABLEBEDREST Julian Robert Aymar, 5124 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y.11219 Filed Jan. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 608,798 4 Claims. (Cl. 5-327)ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE A bedrest having bellows placed under amattress and filled with compressed air by a motor located near the bedand switched on and olf by a switch which can be placed on the bed. Thesame switch serves to release the compressed air filling the bellows.

The present invention relates to a bedrest which may be convenientlyplaced under a mattress for raising and lowering a portion of themattress, such as the portion constituting the head and backrest of theuser, or the portion upon which his feet are located. Prior art bedrestsof this type consist of metal or wood frames which must be set, raisedand lowered by persons standing near the bed. The present invention isintended primarily for bedridden patients although, of course, it can beused by perfectly healthy persons. A characteristic feature of theinvention is that a person lying on a bed, by pressing a switch andwithout moving outside of the bed, can raise a portion of the mattressand, by pressing the same switch, can lower it again. Thus a personlying on `a bed can change his or her position from a lying position toa sitting position and vice versa or raise and lower the legs withoutleaving the bed and without requiring any outside help. This isaccomplished by bellows which receive compressed air from a motorlocated near the bed.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an adjustablerest for beds which can be conveniently operated by a person lying on abed by means of a switch without it being necessary for the person tochange his or her position.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it wasfound desirable to employ specially constructed bellows which are placedbetween the mattress and the springs of a bed, either adjacent the topof the bed or at the bottom thereof depending on whether an adjustablebackrest or an adjustable footrest is desired. The bellows are actuatedby compressed air supplied by a motor which can be located close to thebed and which can be operated by the regular house current. A wiringconnects the motor with a switch which can be conveniently placed uponthe bed within reach of the person lying on the bed. The switch can bemoved from an inoperative position to two operative positions. In therst operative position the motor is actuated so that compressed air issupplied by the motor to the bellows, thereby expanding the bellows andraising the portion of the mattress under which the bellows are located.The switch moves automatically to the inoperative position as soon aspressure thereon is released. In the second operative position of theswitch a valve is actuated to connect the interior of the bellows withthe motor casing and thus with the outside atmosphere so that compressedair iiows out of the bellows, with the result that the mattress islowered.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,showing by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

3,392,412 Patented July 16, 1968 In the drawings:

FIGURE l shows a bed with a bedrest constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the bellows when expanded.

FIGURE 3 is a section through a portion of the expanded bellows.

FIGURE 4 is another section through a portion of the bellows along theline IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the actuating motor.

FIGURE 6 is a section through the motor along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

FIGURE 7 is a diagram illustrating the electrical connections.

FIGURE 8 is a section through the switch which actuates the motor.

The bedrest shown in the drawings includes bellows 11 and a motor 12.The bellows 11 when folded have a comparatively small thickness so thatthey can be conveniently .placed under a mattress 13 without changing toany substantial extent the normal horizontal position of the mattress.The bellows 11 are preferably attached to the frame 14 of the bed bystraps 15. In FIG. 1 the bellows 11 are shown as being placed under thehead portion of the mattress 13. Obviously, the bellows may be placedunder the foot portion of a mattress or in any other desired location.

The motor 12 is connected with the bellows 11 by a tubing 16. The motor12 is supplied with electrical current through a plug 17 which may beiixed in the usual outlet of house current. The motor 12 is actuated bya switch 18 which may be conveniently placed on top of the bed. Thus aperson lying in bed by merely pressing the switch 18 can till thebellows 11 with compressed air from the motor 12 and thereby move thehead portion of the mattress 13 to a raised position shown by brokenlines in FIG. 1. This procedure will be described in greater detailhereinafter.

The bellows 11 are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Theypreferably consist of thin sheets of a foldable plastic material,although obviously, any other suitable material may be used. The bellowsinclude a hard bottom plate 19 made preferably of cardboard or :a thinsheet of wood, and a similar hard top plate 20. The plates 19 and 20 arecompletely enclosed by sheets 21 of the foldable plastic material andthe folds of the bellows are located between the two plates. In theexample illustrated, these folds are formed by double sheets 22, singlesheets 23 and connecting pieces 24. Another sheet Imay extend beyond thebellows and lit directly under the mattresses. A double sheet 22 isfolded over at 25 and its two ends are rmly joined by an adhesive so asto form a rib 26, preventing any escape of compressed air. A singlesheet 23 is connected by the same adhesive to the inner fold 25. Theouter end of the sheet 23 is connected to a connecting piece or strip24, again forming a rib 27. The other end 28 of the strip 24 isconnected to the sheet 22 at a distance from the outer edges of thesheet 22 (FIG. 4) so as to provide a fold or a cushion effect. Theseconnections of the folds of the bellows may be varied and repeated,depending upon the desired size of the bellows. As already stated, theadhesive used to establish these connections must provide a permanentfirm air-tight structure. The inner sheets of the bellows have alignedholes 30 to provide access for compressed air t0 all compartments formedby the sheets. An end of the tube 16 extends into one of thesecompartments .and is firmly and air-tightly connected to the adjacentedges of the sheet so as to prevent any escape of compressed air flowingthrough the tube 16 into the interior of the bellows.

v The motor 12 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a casing 31 mounted on legs32. The bottom 33 of the casing has openings 34 for admission of air.Inside the casing 31 there is an electric air compressor 35 of the usualtype having magnetic poles 36 and a rotor 37 having a shaft 38 withblades 39. A wire 40 connects the air compressor 35 with the housecurrent through the plug 17. A transformer (not shown) may be used totransform the current supplied by the usual household connections foractuating the air compressor.

Air compressed within the casing 31 is introduced into the interior of avalve 41 through an opening 42 provided in the casing 43 of the valve41. The casing 43 is suspended from the cover 44 of the motor casing 31and is air-tightly connected with the cover.

The valve 41 includes a magnetic relay 45 connected by a wire 46 withthe same plug 17 which supplies house current to the air compressor 35.The relay 45 actuates a rod 47 carrying a disc 48 lying upon a plate 49within the valve casing 43. The disc 48 is provided with ribs 50 forguiding the current of compressed air. In the inoperative position shownin FIG. 6 the disc 48 separates the interior of the valve casing 43 froman upper chamber 51 communicating with the tube 16 supplying compressedair to the bellows.

The disc 48 carried by the rod 47 may be raised from the plate 49 by twoindependent means. In the rst place, compressed air provided by the aircompressor 35 and filling the interior of the casing 31, wiil ow intothe valve casing 43 through the opening 42 and will push the disc 48upwardly, so that compressed air will liow into the chamber 51 and thetube 16, reaching the bellows 11. In the second place, the user lying onthe bed may actuate the relay 45 by operating the switch 18. The relay45 will move upwardly the rod 47 carrying the disc 48 so that theinterior of the bellows 11 and of the chamber 51 will communicate withoutside air through the valve casing 43, the opening 42, the motorcasing 31 and the openings 34.

The cover 44 of the casing 31 also carries a safety valve 52 of theusual type which operates automatically when air pressure within thecasing 31 becomes excessive.

It is apparent that the switch 18 has the double function of filling thebellows 11 with compressed air and of removing compressed air from thebellows. For that purpose, the switch 18 is provided with a plate 53(FIG. 8) which is pivoted in the middle and which may be presseddownwardly from two opposite sides by a linger of the user. When theuser presses downwardly one side of the plate 53, an electricalconnection is established between contacts 54 and 55. These contactswill provide a connection of the air compressor 35 with the plug 17supplying electric current through the wires 40, 56 and 57 (FIG. 7) sothat the air compressor will be actuated. As long as the user continueshis pressure upon this side of the plate 53, the electrical connectionwill be maintained and air compressed by the compressor 35 will flowthrough the casings 31 and 43, the chamber 51 and the tube 16 into theinterior of the bellows 11 and will gradually expand these bellows. Assoon as the user ceases his pressure upon the plate 53, a spring 58(FIG. 8) will move the contact 54 and the plate 53 back into theinoperative position, thereby separating the contacts 54 and 55. Thellow of the electrical current to the air compressor 35 will cease.Compressed air in the bellows 11, the tube 16 and the chamber 51 willpress the disc 48 against the plate 49, so that no escape of compressedair is possible.

It is apparent that this arrangement will make it possible for the userto raise his back-or any other part of his body-to any desired extent,but at the same time will be lowered by the weight of the user or thatof the mere raising of a inger is suicient to stop the supply ofcompressed air.

When the user decides that he wants to lower the raised portion of themattress or to return to the horizontal position, he presses downwardlythe opposite side of the plate 53. Then a connection is establishedbetween contacts 58 and 59 connected to wires 57 and 60, respectively,which along with the wire 46 supply electrical current to the relay 45.The relay 45 will raise the rod 47 with the disc 48, so that compressedair will How out through the casings 43 and 31 so that the bellows 11will be lowered by the weight of the user or that the mattress. Theswitch 18 will remain in this position until the user actuates again theplate 53.

Thus the bedrest of the present invention makes it possible to raise orlower any section of the mattress by the use of only one linger of theperson lying in the bed.

It is apparent that the described embodiment is capable of manyvariations and modifications. For example, the safety valve 52constituting a by-pass may be used for the removal of compressed airfrom the bellows. A single motor may be used to actuate several bellowslocated in the same bed or in different beds. Those and other variationsand modifications are to be included within the scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A bedrest comprising expansible bellows, an electric air compressor,a valve connected with said bellows and said air compressor and openedby air compressed by said air compressor for transmitting saidcompressed air from said air compressor to said bellows, a relayconnected with said valve for opening said valve, single switch meansconnected with said air compressor and said relay for selectivelyactuating said air compressor and said relay to open said valve, acasing having a cover, side walls and a bottom, said bottom having atleast one hole for the admission of air, said electric air compressorbeing located within said casing, said valve having a casing locatedwithin the first-mentioned casing and suspended from the cover thereof,said relay being located within the second-mentioned casing, said valvefurther comprising a plate located within the second-mentioned casing, arod extending through the second-mentioned casing, a disc fixed uponsaid rod and adapted to engage said plate, the second-mentioned casinghaving an opening located below said plate and and communicating withthe interior of the first-mentioned casing, whereby compressed airpenetrating through said opening into the second-mentioned casing raisessaid disc and said rod, said relay when actuated also raising said rodand said disc, means carried by said cover and forming a chamberenclosing said disc and a tube connected with said chamber and saidbellows.

2. A bedrest in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a safetyvalve carried by the cover of the firstmentionedcasing.

3. A bedrest in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a plug forhousehold current and wires connecting said air compressor and saidrelay with said plug, said single switch means comprising a switchmember movable from an inoperative position to any one of two operativepositions, two contacts actuated by said switch member, a wireconnecting said two contacts with said plug, a third contact engaged byone of said two contacts when said switch member is in one of the twooperative positions, a wire connecting said third contact with said aircompressor, a fourth contact engaged by the other of said two contactswhen said switch member is in the other of the two operative positions,and a wire connecting said fourth contact with said relay.

4. A bedrest in accordance with claim 3, wherein said single switchmeans further comprise a spring engaging said switch member and movingsaid switch member from said one operative position to said inoperativeposition when pressure upon said switch member is released.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED lFOREIGN PATENTSSTATES PATENTS 581,796 8/ 1933 Germany. Carbonari 84-376 1,422,606 11/1965 France. Nunlist ---h 5-68 5 McLeod '5-67 BOBBY R. GAY, PrimaryExaminer. Briggs et al. 5-68 t E Hazard In ID3-148 R D KRAUS Asszs antxamzner

